[Book Review] Ghost Of A Promise By Kelly Moran & Ghost Coffee Collab Unfinished Business

Title: Ghost Of A Promise
Series: Phantoms 1
Author: Kelly Moran
Publication date: February 1st 2022
Page Count: 296 pages
Age Rating: Adult (explicit sexual scenes, language)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received a review copy
Publisher’s page: Ghost Of A Promise

The haunting lore of her family’s estate on the coast of Maine never bothered Ava Trumble. Truly, the big ole house seems less lonely with a ghost or two. However, when it finally becomes her time to inherit the elaborate mansion on the bluffs, the deed comes with a shocking ultimatum. She has exactly one year to solve the two-hundred-year-old mystery of the disappearance of a girl that has always plagued their town, or her dreams and the property will wind up in the hands of the Historical Society.

As the lead investigator for the hit paranormal TV show Phantoms, Jackson Granger is prepared for any metaphysical encounter. Until now. It’s not just the uncanny sense of “coming home” since getting his team inside Trumble Mansion or even his reaction to the fiery redhead owner who seems to consume his every waking thought. No, it’s that, as the investigation unfolds, the ghosts are using Jackson and Ava’s attraction to play out a centuries-old tragedy. Heartbreak. Loss. Overwhelming passion.

Now, Jackson and Ava must determine if they’re sharing something real…or if they’ve merely been possessed by a love that never died.

My Review

Fans of paranormal investigation shows will love Ghost of a Promise.

The book is prefaced with a list of ghost hunting tech terms and that’s when avid watchers of paranormal tv, such as myself, get the first inkling this is going to be good. And it was.

The Trumble family estate is over 200 years old and is well-known in the small coastal town of Kerrick for it’s tragic history of death and sadness dating all the way back to it’s first owners. Ava Trumble has always loved her family home and has big plans when she inherits to turn it into a historic bed & breakfast. But her inheritance comes with a stipulation – she has one year to uncover the mystery of the very first tragedy to befall the home some 230 years ago: the disappearance of Sarah Kerrick, who was set to marry the Trumble heir before they had a falling out and she was never heard from again. With no physical evidence outside of a house filled with ghosts, Ava turns to a team of ghost hunters for help.

Jackson Granger, host and lead investigator for the tv show Phantoms, is used to all kinds of unusual experiences in his five year career searching for and documenting the paranormal, what he’s not used to is the sudden and intense feelings of attraction and home he feels when he comes to the Trumble estate and meets Ava. Is it the house or the woman making him feel this way? (spoiler: it’s a little of both).

You can really tell the author knows her stuff when it comes to paranormal investigations and she does a fantastic job of blending that in with the unfolding romance between Ava and Jackson in a compelling way that kept me hooked. I found myself equally as absorbed with the ongoing paranormal investigation as I was by the steamy romance between Ava and Jackson. As someone obsessed with ghost hunting shows, I can say the paranormal team and the investigation scenes come of as really authentic in this (except I wish more ghost hunting shows captured this much evidence, those Trumble spirits are active).

How much did I love this book? I’m already reading the next book in the series and adding the third book next on my TBR list because I loved it so much. There’s only three books in the trilogy, but if there were more I’d read those too.

You never know what you’re going to get when it comes to ghosts which I thinks pairs perfectly with Ghost Coffee Collab Unfinished Business. It’s a blend full of surprises that changes and evolves over time as the roasters continue to tweak it, but promises to always have the same base notes of red berry, subtle florals, and hints of chocolate. Very similar to how paranormal investigations shows and episodes may have very similar premises and methods, but there’s always a little something unique in each one that keeps you coming back.